President Donald J. Trump today announced a significant expansion of the Ratepayer Protection Pledge, which now includes over 200 additional utilities, data center developers, cooperatives, and states. This initiative aims to ensure that the expansion of data centers fueling America’s AI leadership does not result in increased electricity costs for American households and businesses.
The Pledge mandates that large data center operators, rather than ratepayers, bear the costs for electricity generation and infrastructure required for their projects. With commitments from top tech companies and hyperscalers earlier this year, the Ratepayer Protection Pledge now encompasses 80% of all power supplied to U.S. homes and businesses, safeguarding 263 million Americans when a data center is established nearby.
The Ratepayer Protection Pledge is already providing tangible benefits:
- In Michigan, DTE Energy’s collaborations with Google and Oracle are expected to generate billions in savings for customers, with the tech companies covering all energy and capacity expenses.
- In Indiana, NiSource’s agreements with Amazon and Alphabet are projected to return at least $1.4 billion to customers over 15 years.
- In Georgia, Southern Company is maintaining base rates through 2029 and providing over $1.7 billion in savings, which equates to more than $100 saved per year for the average residential customer.
- In Mississippi, Entergy’s deal with Amazon is delivering approximately $2 billion in total customer benefits, including full coverage of new transmission and related costs.
- In Wisconsin, Alliant Energy’s partnerships with data center developers, including QTS, ensure the companies shoulder 100% of the energy and infrastructure costs necessary to operate their facilities, while supporting a five-year rate freeze.
- In Louisiana, Entergy’s deal with Meta ensures Meta pays all costs for connecting its Richland Parish data center.
- In Texas, Crusoe is powering its new 900-megawatt Abilene campus entirely through its own on-site natural gas generation and battery storage.
The Ratepayer Protection Pledge exemplifies President Trump’s strategy of leveraging private-sector partnerships to provide substantial price relief to Americans. This initiative demonstrates that the U.S. can lead in AI and advanced computing without shifting the financial burden onto working families.
